British 19-year-old Ollie Bearman given early Haas chance in Azerbaijan
Bearman, who made his Formula One debut for Ferrari earlier this season, will fill in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen in Baku.
British teenager Ollie Bearman will make his second Formula One appearance at next weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a replacement for the banned Kevin Magnussen.
Magnussen is sidelined after he triggered a suspension for reaching 12 points on his licence.
Bearman is already signed up to race for Haas next season after he impressed as a stand-in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
And the American team confirmed on Friday that the 19-year-old from Essex will fill Magnussen’s vacant cockpit in Baku.
“It’s definitely more of a challenge, stepping in to race as a reserve driver, with limited prep-time and so on, but I’m in the fortunate position of having done it earlier in the year with Ferrari, so I can at least call on that experience,” said Bearman.
“I’ve also had four FP1 sessions with Haas already this season, so undoubtedly that will also prove to be valuable in tackling the full race weekend in Baku.
“The team is in good form at the moment and I’ll do my best to be prepared with the time we have available. The aim is to get out there and have a solid weekend in Azerbaijan.”
Bearman, currently a reserve driver for Haas, became the youngest British driver in F1 history with his debut in Jeddah after Sainz was ruled out at the last minute with appendicitis.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton, 39, described Bearman’s display as “phenomenal” and that of a “future star”.
Magnussen, without a seat next year, was hit with a 10-second penalty and two points for colliding with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix on September 1.
The Dane, who finished 10th in Monza, will become the first driver since Romain Grosjean in 2012 to miss a race through a ban.
